Rosh Hashanah 50

ואומר (תהלים צט, ו) משה ואהרן בכהניו ושמואל בקוראי שמו שקל הכתוב שלשה קלי עולם כשלשה חמורי עולם

It says also: Moses and Aaron among his priests and Samuel among them that call on his name.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. XCIX, 6. This shows that Samuel is on a par with Moses and Aaron.');">¹</span> [We see therefore that] the Scripture places three of the most questionable characters<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'light ones of the world'.');">²</span>

לומר לך ירובעל בדורו כמשה בדורו בדן בדורו כאהרן בדורו יפתח בדורו כשמואל בדורו ללמדך שאפילו קל שבקלין ונתמנה פרנס על הצבור הרי הוא כאביר שבאבירים

on the same level as three of the the most estimable characters,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'heavy ones of the world'.');">³</span> to show that Jerubaal in his generation is like Moses in his generation, Bedan in his generation is like Aaron in his generation, Jepthah in his generation is like Samuel in his generation, [and] to teach you that the most worthless, once he has been appointed a leader<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hebr. Parnas. V. Git, Sonc. ed, p. 280, n. 9.');">⁴</span>

ואומר (דברים יז, ט) ובאת אל הכהנים הלוים ואל השופט אשר יהיה בימים ההם וכי תעלה על דעתך שאדם הולך אצל הדיין שלא היה בימיו הא אין לך לילך אלא אצל שופט שבימיו ואומר (קהלת ז, י) אל תאמר מה היה שהימים הראשונים היו טובים מאלה:

of the community, is to be accounted like the mightiest of the mighty. Scripture says also: And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites and to the judge thou shall be in those days.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XVII, 9.');">⁵</span>

נטל מקלו ומעותיו בידו: תנו רבנן כיון שראה אותו עמד מכסאו ונשקו על ראשו אמר לו שלום עליך רבי ותלמידי רבי שלמדתני תורה ברבים ותלמידי שאני גוזר עליך גזירה ואתה מקיימה כתלמיד אשרי הדור שהגדולים נשמעים לקטנים קל וחומר קטנים לגדולים

Can we then imagine that a man should go to a judge who is not in his days? This shows that you must be content to go to the judge who is in your days.

קל וחומר חיובא הוא אלא מתוך שהגדולים נשמעים לקטנים נושאין קטנים קל וחומר בעצמן:

It also says; Say not, How was it that the former days were better than these.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., had better judges than these. Eccl. VII, 10.');">⁶</span> HE TOOK HIS STAFF AND HIS MONEY IN HIS HAND.

<br><br><big><strong>הדרן עלך אם אינן מכירין</strong></big><br><br>

Our Rabbis taught: When he [Rabban Gamaliel] saw him, he rose from his seat and kissed him on his head, saying, Peace to thee my teacher and my disciple - my teacher, because thou hast taught me Torah publicly, my disciple because I lay an injunction on thee and thou dost carry it out like a disciple. Happy is the generation in which the greater defer to the lesser, and all the more so the lesser to the greater! [You say] 'All the more so'! It is their duty!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' We naturally suppose the words to mean, 'all the more so where the lesser defer to the greater', which would imply that such a thing is not ordinarily to be expected.');">⁷</span>

מתני׳ <big><strong>ראוהו</strong></big> בית דין וכל ישראל נחקרו העדים ולא הספיקו לומר מקודש עד שחשיכה הרי זה מעובר

- What it means is that because the greater defer to the lesser, the lesser apply the lesson to themselves with all the more force.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., they say, 'how much more should we defer to the greater'.');">⁸</span> <big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>IF THE BETH DIN AND ALL ISRAEL SAW IT,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On the thirtieth day, shortly before nightfall.');">⁹</span>

ראוהו ב"ד בלבד יעמדו שנים ויעידו בפניהם ויאמרו מקודש מקודש ראוהו שלשה והן בית דין יעמדו השנים ויושיבו מחביריהם אצל היחיד ויעידו בפניהם ויאמרו מקודש מקודש שאין היחיד נאמן על ידי עצמו:

IF THE WITNESSES WERE TESTED<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The meaning of this is explained infra in the GEMARA:');">¹⁰</span> AND THERE WAS NO TIME LEFT TO SAY 'SANCTIFIED' BEFORE IT GREW DARK, THEN THE MONTH IS PROLONGED.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the thirty-first day becomes New Moon and not the thirtieth.');">¹¹</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> למה לי למיתנא ראוהו בית דין וכל ישראל איצטריך סד"א הואיל וראוהו בית דין וכל ישראל איפרסמא לה ולא ליעברוה קמ"ל

IF THE BETH DIN<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of twenty-three members.');">¹²</span> ALONE HAVE SEEN IT,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Not necessarily on the thirtieth day.');">¹³</span>

וכיון דתנא ליה ראוהו ב"ד וכל ישראל נחקרו העדים למה לי ה"ק א"נ נחקרו העדים ולא הספיקו לומר מקודש עד שחשיכה הרי זה מעובר

TWO OF THEM SHOULD COME FORWARD AND TESTIFY BEFORE THEM, AND THEN THEY CAN SAY, 'SANCTIFIED, SANCTIFIED'. IF THREE PERSONS SAW IT, THEY [THEMSELVES] CONSTITUTING THE BETH DIN, TWO [OF THEM] SHOULD COME FORWARD AND THEY SHOULD ASSOCIATE SOME OF THEIR COLLEAGUES WITH THE ONE LEFT, AND THEY [THE TWO] SHOULD TESTIFY BEFORE THEM AND THEY CAN THEN SAY, 'SANCTIFIED, SANCTIFIED'.

וכיון דתנא עד שחשיכה הרי זה מעובר למה לי למיתנייה חקירת העדים כלל

[THIS MUST BE DONE] BECAUSE AN INDIVIDUAL IS NOT AUTHORIZED [TO SAY 'SANCTIFIED'] BY HIMSELF. <big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>What need is there to state IF THE BETH DIN AND ALL ISRAEL SAW IT?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., why mention Israel as well as the Beth din?');">¹⁴</span>

איצטריך סד"א תיהוי חקירת עדים כתחילת דין ומקודש מקודש כגמר דין ולקדשי בליליא מידי דהוה אדיני ממונות דתנן דיני ממונות דנין ביום וגומרין בלילה הכא נמי מקדשין בליליא קמ"ל

- It is necessary. You might think that since the Beth din and all Israel have seen it everyone knows about it and therefore they should not prolong the month.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But reckon that same day as New Moon.');">¹⁵</span>

ואימא הכי נמי אמר קרא (תהלים פא, ה) כי חק לישראל הוא משפט לאלהי יעקב אימת הוי חק בגמר דין וקא קרי ליה רחמנא משפט מה משפט ביום אף הכא נמי ביום:

Therefore we are told [that this is not so]. But when once it has been stated IF THE BETH DIN AND ALL ISRAEL SAW IT, why should it further say, IF THE WITNESSES HAVE BEEN TESTED?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why are witnesses needed if all the people have seen it?');">¹⁶</span>

ראוהו בית דין יעמדו שנים ויעידו בפניהם ואמאי לא תהא שמיעה גדולה מראייה

- What it means is, 'Or if the witnesses had been tested and there was no time left to say "sanctified" before it grew dark, then the month must be prolonged'. But when once it has been stated if IT GREW DARK THEN THE MONTH IS PROLONGED, why should the testing of the witnesses be mentioned at all?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since this case can be inferred a fortiori from the previous one.');">¹⁷</span>

א"ר זירא כגון שראוהו בלילה:

- It is necessary. For you might suppose that the testing of the witnesses is regarded as the commencement of a suit in court, and the pronouncement of 'sanctified', 'sanctified' as the end of the suit, and therefore they should sanctify at night, on the analogy of money suits, as we have learnt, 'Money suits are heard by day and concluded [if necessary] at night'; so here we should sanctify at night.

ראוהו שלשה והן בית דין יעמדו שנים ויושיבו מחביריהם אצל היחיד אמאי הכא נמי נימא לא תהא שמיעה גדולה מראייה וכי תימא ה"נ כגון שראוהו בלילה היינו הך

Therefore we are told [that this is not so]. But cannot I say that this actually is the case?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., what reason is there why in general the pronouncement should not be made at night?');">¹⁸</span>

סיפא איצטריכא ליה דאין היחיד נאמן על ידי עצמו דסלקא דעתך אמינא הואיל (ותנן) דיני ממונות בשלשה ואם היה מומחה לרבים דן אפילו ביחיד הכא נמי ניקדשיה ביחידי קמ"ל

- Scripture says, For it is a statute for Israel, a judgment for the God of Jacob.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LXXXI, 5. ej');">¹⁹</span> When does the word 'statute'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Hebrew word is , which is taken by the Talmud in the sense of 'decision', 'verdict'.');">²⁰</span>

ואימא הכא נמי אין לך מומחה לרבים בישראל יותר ממשה רבינו וקאמר ליה הקב"ה עד דאיכא אהרן בהדך דכתיב (שמות יב, א) ויאמר ה' אל משה ואל אהרן בארץ מצרים לאמר החדש הזה לכם

apply? To the conclusion of the suit; and the All-Merciful calls it 'judgment'.

למימרא דעד נעשה דיין לימא מתני' דלא כר"ע דתניא סנהדרין שראו אחד שהרג את הנפש

[Therefore we reason], Just as judgment is delivered by day,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Sanh. 32a.');">²¹</span> so here [the pronouncement must be] by day. IF THE BETH DIN [ALONE] HAVE SEEN IT, TWO OF THEM SHOULD COME FORWARD AND TESTIFY BEFORE THEM. Why so? Surely hearing should not carry greater weight than seeing?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the report of the witnesses should not carry greater weight than what they have seen with their own eyes.');">²²</span> - R'Zera said, [It is necessary if] for instance, they saw it at night.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence on the next day they must rely on a report.');">²³</span> IF THREE PERSONS SAW IT, THEY [THEMSELVES] CONSTITUTING THE BETH DIN, TWO [OF THEM] SHOULD COME FORWARD AND THEY SHOULD ASSOCIATE SOME OF THEIR COLLEAGUES WITH THE ONE LEFT. Why so? Here too we can argue that hearing should not carry greater weight than seeing? And should you reply that here too [it is necessary] if, for instance, they saw it at night, then this i the same case as the one [preceding]? - It was necessary to state the last clause<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., this sentence merely leads up to the next.');">²⁴</span> [VIZ.]: BECAUSE AN INDIVIDUAL IS NOT AUTHORIZED [TO SAY 'SANCTIFIED'] BY HIMSELF. For you might have thought that since it has been taught, 'Money suits must be tried before three, but one who is a recognized legal expert<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb. Mumhe (v. Glos.) .');">²⁵</span> can try them even alone', so here too one might sanctify the month single-handed. Therefore we are told [that this is not so]. But cannot I say that this actually is the case?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That one expert may sanctify.');">²⁶</span> - There was no more universally recognized expert in Israel than Moses, and yet the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, [Do not sanctify the month] until Aaron is with thee, as it is written, And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month is to you.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XII, 1, 2; cf. supra 22a.');">²⁷</span> This implies that a witness<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., one who is competent to act as witness, as here the Beth din.');">²⁸</span> may act as judge. Shall we say then that our Mishnah does not agree with R'Akiba, since it has been taught: 'If the Sanhedrin saw a man slay a person